New Zealand scrum-half TJ Perenara has been ruled of Saturday’s second Test against England because of a knee injury.
Perenara made his first All Blacks appearance since 2022 in the series opener in Dunedin having recovered from an Achilles problem.
But his comeback was cut short when he limped out of the 16-15 victory in the first-half and New Zealand have confirmed he will play no part in the Eden Park rematch.
It leaves New Zealand exposed at scrum-half following the international retirement of Aaron Smith, who is now playing club rugby in Japan.
“We are waiting on a specialist to determine an exact return to play date. Hopefully it is not too long but we haven’t got an exact date yet,” assistant coach Jason Holland said.
Finlay Christie is poised to start the second of two Tests against England in Perenara’s absence. New Zealand name their team in the early hours of Thursday morning.
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 8, 2024